Just a few weeks ago, Bud Selig stood in front of a podium at a Paradise Valley resort and proclaimed baseball was as clean as your grandbaby’s scalp.

The commissioner had just announced a series of sweeping changes to Major League Baseball’s joint drug program that would rid the sport of performance-enhancing drugs once and for all. It includes random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone, beginning this year, and new protocols for testing for heightened levels of testosterone.

“This is a proud and a great day for baseball,” Selig told us.

Of course, that same day, baseball released a statement revealing that two minor-league players were suspended for 50 games after being caught using PEDs.

Now word comes Tuesday from an online report by the Miami New Times that an anti-aging clinic in South Florida allegedly had been dispensing HGH, synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids and other banned substances regularly to several baseball players and other athletes until shutting its doors last month.

Among those linked to the report are five players who have been punished already or identified as PED users, including Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and last year’s All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, Melky Cabrera, who played for the Giants at the time and has since signed a rich deal with the Blue Jays.

But it also includes two new faces: Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez and Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, and that is even more concerning.

“I’ve never used performance-enhancing drugs of any kind, and I never will,” Gonzalez responded in a statement. “…Anything said to the contrary is a lie.”

Rodriguez admitted using steroids from 2001 to 2003 only, but according to the New Times, his name began surfacing at Biogenesis of America in 2009 and it continued through this past season.

Rodriguez also issued a statement denying any involvement with the clinic or its owner, Tony Bosch.

“The purported documents referenced in this story — at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez — are not legitimate,” the statement read in part.

Rodriguez, it should be noted, didn’t come clean about his past PED usage until he got word that an unflattering story was about to be published about it.

Ultimately, we can only hope the real truth comes out. The good news is, baseball already has been investigating multiple “wellness” centers in the Miami area suspected of dispensing PEDs, and more information likely is forthcoming.

It’s just troublesome timing in that during the same month baseball embraced the toughest drug policy in all of American professional sports it has yet another potential black eye to absorb.

Tuesday’s story became so big and so fluid, in fact, that Selig felt it necessary to release a statement of his own.

“Vigilance remains the key toward protecting the integrity of the game,” part of the statement said. “…We remain fully committed to following all leads and seeking the appropriate outcomes for all those who use, purchase and are involved in the distribution of banned substances, which have no place in our game.”

Reaction to the New Times story included the following comments from Diamondbacks rookie center fielder Adam Eaton via Twitter:

“Can we please eliminate PEDSs from baseball? I’d like to think our stats and players are legitimate. #cleanitup #thishasgonetoofar #smh.”

Eaton also tweeted that baseball needs to strengthen penalties for PED users.

I would agree, wholeheartedly. A first-time offense calls for a 50-game suspension. A second results in 100 games and a third comes with a lifetime ban.

If baseball really wants to be as clean as your grandbaby’s scalp, make a first-time offender serve a 100-game suspension and kick him out of baseball for good if he is stupid enough to get busted again.

Until players get hurt where it counts — in their wallet — they’ll never learn. And keeping them out of the Hall of Fame won’t make a bit of difference.

Reach The Heat Index at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac.

Posting a comment to our website allows you to join in on the conversation. Share your story and unique perspective with members of the azcentral.com community.

Comments posted via facebook:

► Join the Discussion

azcentral.com has switched to the Facebook comment system on its blogs. Existing blog comments will display, but new comments will only be accepted via the Facebook comment system. To begin commenting, you must be logged into an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. While we welcome you to join conversations, readers are responsible for their comments and abuse of this privilege will not be tolerated. We reserve the right, without warning or notification, to remove comments and block users judged to violate our Terms of Service and Rules of Engagement. Facebook comments FAQ

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.